The history of cinema is filled to the brim with examples of memorable villains. Indeed, more often than not, the success of a film relies as much (if not more) on the quality of its bad guy as it does on the hero! Thanks to the high bar set by these iconic wrongdoers – including legendary figures like Hannibal Lecter, the Joker, and Darth Vader – filmmakers have to try harder than ever to craft a truly impressive villain.

That might explain the increasing trend towards baddies created entirely through CGI, with directors convinced that we’ve now reached the limits of what can be achieved using flesh-and-blood actors covered in prosthetics. To be fair, when these digital delinquents are done well, the results are truly impressive, delivering the kind of malevolent on-screen threat that could only be imagined previously.

However, when an artificial antagonist falls flat, the impact on a movie can be devastating. We’re not overstating things when we say that several films released in the last few decades have been totally wrecked – or at the very least, severely hampered – by an unconvincing computer-generated monstrosity.

The answer, it turns out, is yes. Director Gareth Edwards’ story of a ragtag band of Rebels and their attempts to steal the Death Star plans has barely arrived in cinemas, and it’s already generating strong buzz among critics and fans alike.

Much like the Death Plans themselves, Rogue One is not without flaws – the beginning is a bit choppy, and the supporting characters are a bit thinly drawn – but its nevertheless a worthy new entry in the Star Wars saga, and here we look at the five main reasons why!

Don’t let the name fool you: there will be more than one rogue in this flick

The teaser trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – the first film in the Star Wars Anthology spin-off series – landed today, and left those wondering if Star Wars – Episode VII: The Force Awakenswas a fluke in no doubt that everyone’s favourite franchise was well and truly back.

I already penned a Crystal Ball feature on potential future Star Wars Anthology instalments, but the teaser for Rogue One got me so intrigued, I’ve found myself compelled to write this follow-up article as if I were the victim of a Jedi Mind Trick.

The new teaser doesn’t do much more than hint at the basic “Ocean’s Eleven in space” plot of Gareth Edwards’ film (it is a TEASER, after all), but even so, there’s still quite a bit to unpack here, so join me as we plot a course for spoilers and make the jump to lightspeed!

What’s the better type of band? “Plucky” or “ragtag”?When George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney back 2012, fans went ballistic at the news that the long-anticipated (and seemingly cancelled) Star Wars sequel trilogy was now officially happening.

Once this excitement died down, speculation soon turned towards whether or not The House of Mouse would announce any standalone films unrelated to the core movies, in an effort to exploit the cash-making machine that is the Star Wars license for all its worth.

True to form, the Star Wars Anthology series was announced a few months later, with director Gareth Evans’ Rogue One: A Star Wars Story bringing us the adventures of a ragtag team of Rebel fighters in December 2016.

Disney-Lucasfilm have also made it clear that we can expect at least two more entries in the Anthology series, and we’re told that the next of these will focus on everyone’s favourite scoundrel, Han Solo (and which should totally be titled Han: Solo; Disney execs – you’re welcome).

But what other adventures set in a galaxy far, far away can we expect? Join me now as I make like a Jedi and peer into the future of Star Wars spin-offs!